On the ‘America’s Got Talent’ finale, and the decreasing number of female success stories

Tonight, “America’s Got Talent” is going to crown its season 10 winner from a group of worthy candidates, and we want to start this particular article by saying that we have nothing against any of them or the talent that they have brought to the table. What we are wondering, however, is whether there is a larger problem either with the show itself or America’s voting patterns.

While composing our finale rankings for the finale (which were published yesterday), we came to the stunning realization that there was not a single woman competing. We know that there has not been a female winner of the show since Bianca Ryan in season 1, but for the sake of this article we went back and looked at the finalists from the past four seasons (otherwise known as the Howard Stern era). Of the four seasons, singers Emily West (season 9) and Cami Bradley (season 8) are the only two solo female acts who have made it to the finale. That is just two out of 28 acts. (The past three seasons have featured six finalists rather than ten.)

If you include group acts that include female members, the number is slightly better, but not significantly so. You are adding AcroArmy from last season and then The Untouchables from season 7. Basically, you have four finalists out of 28, which is one out of seven.

So what is the source of the problem here? Of course, we were curious about this and went back for some further digging. Out of the top 36 this season, we had 14 acts with at least a female presence. While not necessarily equal, it’s at least a sizable representation that shows that the judges / producers are not trying to deliberately tip the scales. For season 9, it was almost 20 acts out of 48.

So ultimately, the situation that we’re looking at here is one where for one reason or another, female acts are just not getting the votes necessary to advance to the finals of these seasons. Why is there such bias among the American public, or is it really fair to call it bias at all? It is hard to definitively say, but there are a few things to be aware of.

1. Typically, men tend to perform better than women in public votes. Take a look, for example, at “American Idol” through the years. Since season 6, Candice Glover is the only woman to have won the series, despite the fact that there have been many talented female contestants since then. Three out of the eight winners of “The Voice” have been female, but none since season 5.

2. There may be an issue with the type of female act that the show is getting. For years, singers dominated the competition, but over the past few years we’re seeing more of a trend where variety acts are getting the love. A dog act won season 7, followed by a futuristic dancer in Kenichi Ebina and then a magician in Mat Franco. There has not been much female representation in these categories over the years other than the occasional female solo dancer. You can argue the many of the stronger performers over the years happen to be male, but is that entirely true? Jackie Evancho, arguably the second-most-successful contestant to appear on the show behind Terry Fator to date, did not even win her season. There is not an inordinate proportion of men to women who have found success after the show.

3. If there is one thing you can blame the show for rather than the public vote, it is that maybe the show doesn’t know how to edit some of their female contestants in a unique way. If they are a singer, they are either of the “this is my dream” or the “this is my last chance” variety depending on their age. We’ve heard that narrative before. We’re handed often a series of sad stories, but when was the last time you had a female contestant get a fun, memorable pre-show package? Even some of the female comics have been burdened with sentimentality.

There is no clear reason as to why this problem continues to happen with “America’s Got Talent,” and it unfair to claim that either the show, the casting department, or the American public are responsible. Yet, there’s enough evidence now to suggest that the problem is systemic, and we have to hope for season 11 something changes that allows for a broader range of talented women, and for them to be presented in a way that makes viewers of all varieties want to pick up the phone and vote for them.

Do you think there is a problem with “America’s Got Talent” and their lack of female acts? Share with a comment, and head over here to get some other TV news sent right in your direction via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)